Here are the key aspects of the new Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Bill:
- Any child under the age of 14 cannot be employed in any occupation or enterprise
- The only notable exclusion will come in the form of family enterprises
- Children below the age of 14 can work for their family enterprise or farms only after school hours or during holidays
- The bill also bars the employment of adolescents in occupations that deal with hazardous working conditions, such as chemical plants and mines.
- The government believes that this step to exclude family businesses and farms is taken in cognizance with the socio-economic fabric of the country, claiming the need to balance education with the reality of the socio-economic fabric of the country.
- A UNICEF report estimates that 246 million children are still engaged in child labour in developing countries like India. The need of the hour, as suggested by many experts on the matter, is to introduce a two front solution. The ban on child labour should work in correspondence with the accessibility of free education.
Source: India Today
